Model Training Materials: Hate Speech, Defamation and National Security or ethnic origin, sexual orientation or sexual identity, will be punished with three to eighteen months’ imprisonment. Exercise 2: Defamation Break into small groups. If possible, ensure each group has a lawyer with some experience with defamation law. Each group should discuss the current situation of defamation law in the country and, specifically, consider the following questions: • Who primarily brings defamation cases in your country? Are these generally legitimate claims for reputational damage? • Do SLAPPs exist in your country? If so, what are some egregious examples you have seen of defamation law being used as a weapon to silence freedom of expression? • How do the current defamation rules undermine the ability of journalists to report freely on issues of public interest? Based on the discussion, each group should identify 2-3 areas where legal reform is most needed and discuss the most appropriate strategy for advocating for that legal reform. The group should then discuss which of the identified legal reforms are most achievable and possible actions towards accomplishing those reforms. They should briefly present their ideas to the plenary group. Exercise 3: National Security Break into small groups. Each group will be assigned one of the following topics: • Incitement to violence • Incitement to terrorism or praise of terrorism • Sharing state secrets Each group should review the international standards relevant to restrictions on freedom of expression related to their topic. Then, they should select 2-3 examples where someone’s speech has been restricted on that ground. If they cannot think of examples from their own country context or their own experiences, they can also invent a hypothetical example. The group should apply the international standards to that example and prepare a short presentation explaining why or why not the restriction was justified. Each group will then briefly present their examples to the group along with an explanation of the relevant international standards. The Centre for Law and Democracy is a non-profit human rights organisation working internationally to provide legal expertise on foundational rights for democracy. 37